Four Boeing Machinists take action against own union to try to get 777X revote

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SEATTLE — On Tuesday night, Boeing union members attending a regularly scheduled lodge meeting of the International Association of Machinists Local 751-E adopted two resolutions aimed at addressing what the members call a contract voting process that was improper and unfair.

“The vote (date) was announced on the Saturday before Christmas. It was held on the Friday after New Year’s. Thousands of our members weren’t able to vote. In fact, we estimate about 25% of our total membership wasn’t able to vote on that day,” union spokesman Bryan Corliss said.

If accurate, that 25 percent — or roughly 8,000 members — might be more than enough to change the outcome, considering the contract extension passed by only a few hundred votes.

“Given that the margin between the accept and reject votes was so slim, having thousands and thousands of people not able to vote, they feel, affected the outcome,” Corlisss said.

The timing of the vote was decided by the union’s international president instead of local leaders and it will be the international president who will decide whether there is a recount or a revote.

Regardless, there is a rift within the union.

“We have not made any decisions as to the merits of this case. At this point, this is the very initial stages. We are just investigating them now,” National Labor Relations Board attorney Anne Pomerantz said.

The rift is so bad that four union members filed complaints with the NLRB — an independent regulatory agency charged with investigating charges of unfair labor practices.

“The gist of the four of them is that the vote was improperly held because of the timing of the vote,” Pomerantz said.

The vote was held last Friday, during the holidays, while many workers were off work, on vacation, or otherwise unreachable because, one member said, not everyone’s email address was on file with the union.

Putting the vote off just a couple of weeks, they say, would have made all the difference and may have changed the outcome.

“Essentially disenfranchisement, how the proposals were presented, the dichotomy between the International’s position and the district lodge’s position,” Pomerantz said.

The NLRB investigation is just getting under way and could take a few months to complete.

As for the resolutions passed Tuesday night, the same man who set the voting date in the first place, the international president, is the same man who will decide whether a recount or revote should be held.

10 comments

j

J

The Boeing union and machinists are a joke. I hope Boeing gives all the work to other states and when the workers here run out of work,they can realize they shouldn’t have been so stupid. I hope they all get laid off and the jobs go to workers who don’t whine and complain.

ShadowWalker59

Yep, go ahead, just keep it up, and pretty soon, when Boeing takes THEIR jobs OUT of town, and they have to really beat the bushes to find another job, then we shall see where all their tough talk will get them. I'm all for good pay, and it doesn't bother me that they may have to go on some 401 type of plan for their retirement, but then so do many other big businesses who do the same. If they lose their jobs over this………tell me, what good does it do to say……"We stuck to our guns" and stood up to them! Tell me how good they will feel when they have to go out and look for another job, which may or may not, be as good as Boeing!, and……………..IF, they may even find another job nearly as good as Boeing, here in Washington. Keep this up, and they're gonna find out what real crying and moaning are all about. Both sides MUST give and take, and don't forget………..THEY, are working FOR Boeing, not the other way around. Good Luck machinists, I think you're really going to need it. You machinists really have it pretty good here, and I can appreciate what you want, but when you push too hard, then it does no one any good at all, and in the end, when Boeing moves OUT of town, then you've hurt a lot of people, who'll all go down with you. Then, you'll be responsible for others to lose too, including your family.

Richard

There was two working days before Christmas break, and the vote was on the second day back from work. The last vote had a pretty big number that didn't vote as well. The union is showing their true colors in this whole deal. They're not use to getting the short end of the stick, in the past if you went against what the good ole boys wanted you would be black balled out of the union if you wanted to be involved. Just hope that all these people get told to grow up and except the fact that the "majority" wants to keep Boeing in this area and that is why it passed.
I know of more then one person that just didn't vote, and others that were off on vacation and knew about the absentee ballot and chose not to vote as well. So get over it already!!!

The World is Ending

You chose to leave town and not come back until after the vote.. You are FOUR votes that won't change the outcome of the vote. Union members just keep pushing and Boeing will do the same thing that several other companies have done not only in WA but other states as well when the union pushes to far, pack up and move.

biff

More diminishing returns to americans and your all happy about this? Really? less buying power more corporate and political collusion and the american public is onboard. Wow I feel sorry for the Machinist getting the short end,, bad day for all working people.